


if only I'd have known (you had a storm to weather)

by ancneun



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Song fic, Time Travel, because no one is hurt permanently, song prompt?, technically it is a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:03:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24961996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ancneun/pseuds/ancneun
Summary: If someone had told Kara six months ago that she’ll find herself standing in front of a portal, waving goodbye at Lena, she would have... not laughed. She would have done things differently, maybe said something to possibly avoid this event.But no one had, and no one had warned her about the future, and so there they are, bidding Lena Luthor goodbye as she steps over the threshold and leaves the present to do good things in the future.ora year after they defeat lex, lena literally leaves the present to find her purpose in the future.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 15
Kudos: 139





	if only I'd have known (you had a storm to weather)

**Author's Note:**

> title is from before you go by lewis capaldi.
> 
> this song kills me every time i hear it on my playlist and i just had to write something! i can't be the only one who thinks that Before You Go is a supercorp song, right?
> 
> unbeta'd.

> _I fell by the wayside like everyone else  
> _ _I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, but I was just kidding myself  
> _ _Our every moment, I start to replace  
> _ _'Cause now that they're gone, all I hear are the words that I needed to say_

_Like everyone else._

For the past three and a half years, Lena has begun to learn that she isn’t really like everyone else. She may share a few traits with them, like having the tendency to be human and make bad decisions despite having the best intention in mind, but somehow, even though her brother used to tell her that they were never meant to have friends, Lena finds herself a _group_ of friends.

 _Friends_ is really just a word that she decided to use for the lack of better choice. Most of them are civil with her, respect her because she has shown them a certain degree of respect in return, because despite all the negative forces trying to push her back into the corner where her last name’s reputation haunts her, she is serious when she insists that she isn’t like her brother, or her family, for that matter.

No, she’s different.

She doesn’t want to kill Supergirl, or Superman, or any other disguised hero on Earth. If anything, she’s always wanted to help them, and help them, she did — until came a certain point in her life when she discovered that the only person she has ever trusted turns out to be just another liar.

> _When you hurt under the surface  
>  Like troubled water running cold  
> Well, time can heal, but this won't _

Below the surface of her hurt, there’s a part of her that knows why Kara did it. She knows that it’s risky for people to find out whoever is connected or related with her because it adds another layer of weakness to the hero. She knows how important it is to hide one’s identity, especially when dealing with matters of life or death. 

The honest truth is: Lena would have taken the revelation with understanding if Kara had revealed the truth to her before things happened with Reign. 

Because the events that happened during those days acted as a catalyst to Supergirl inevitably putting her in the same category as her family. 

Or maybe it’s just that one sentence that came out of Supergirl, or Kara’s, mouth.

_“It's not a great question for a Luthor to ask someone in my family.”_

For a Luthor...

Lena still finds herself shaking her head every time the phrase rings inside her head. She still believes that Kara could have reacted better than she did after finding out that she made synthetic Kryptonite, among other things, for the sake of helping her friend. 

That’s a long time ago, and Lena knows she should have forgotten about it, because worse things have happened since then.

And yet, Lena still finds herself indulging in a glass of scotch every time she remembers her best friend, _former_ best friend, hurt her like that — pretend like things were fine that night at the elevator, like she never uttered those words at all. 

* * *

She shakes her head again, getting rid of any lingering thoughts about that horrible time of her life. 

Lex has been defeated, the world is safe again from any _major_ threats, and all there’s left to take care of relatively small crimes that Supergirl can definitely handle by herself.

So Lena is back to being the CEO of the company she’s always cared for, the only thing she has left by her side.

Kara still invites her to game nights, of course, but considering how tense the others get when she’s mentioned, Lena usually decides to just skip game nights.

Instead, she meets up with Kara when she’s _available;_ when it’s a good day for her and sitting from across Kara isn’t going to remind her of good ol’ days when there was no knowledge of Kara being a caped hero, and the only secret she had was her blooming feelings for the reporter.

Lena only meets her on a good day because she knows Kara now spends better days with better people.

* * *

> _Was never the right time, whenever you called  
>  Went little by little by little until there was nothing at all  
> Our every moment, I start to replay  
> But all I can think about is seeing that look on your face _

Kara is grateful for _slow_ days, that is if she’s wearing her suit and flying over National City to make sure that everything is going smoothly for everyone. 

Slow days for Supergirl usually mean hectic days for Kara Danvers at Catco, and Kara really loves her daytime job but sometimes one has to step back from all that chaos and just lift themselves up to the sky to relax and unwind.

And that’s exactly what she’s doing.

She’s patrolling, that’s the only reason that makes sense for her to be flying around when she’s not needed.

No one has to know that she’s doing it so she can take a glimpse of a certain woman sitting behind her desk in her office in the middle of what most people would consider to be _lunch time_. The very same woman that she can just visit anytime she wants, but for some reason can’t really visit _at all_ because she’s pretty sure Lena isn’t very eager to see her every day at 12 pm. 

And that’s really sad because she thought that they ended on good terms after everything that happened with Lex, _especially_ after they defeated Lex.

She should have known that it’s just wishful thinking to expect things to go back to the way they were before all the hurt and drama that came with the revelation of her identity. She should have also known that getting Lena back in her life _full time_ will require more than just game night invites and lunch dates— o-or meetings. _Lunch meetings_. 

But like what Alex always tells her: she shouldn’t be the only one doing all the work. 

Yes, Lena has done her part by apologizing and proving herself through her actions, but those actions were with regards to saving the world. 

What about their friendship?

Their... whatever is between them?

She slows to a stop by the building near L-Corp, a safe distance from Lena finding out that she’s there. Like second nature, she zooms in on the sight of Lena typing away on her laptop, fingers relentless even as her new assistant knocks on her door to remind her about lunch. But of course, classic Lena, she dismisses the poor lady and goes back to work.

She smiles a little, nibbling on the corner of her lip as she contemplates whether it’s a good idea to stop by her balcony and remind her to eat or not.

The last time she did, Lena had been reluctant to acknowledge her _at all_. Rao knows why, since, _again_ , she thought they’d ended on good terms and with a clear agreement to work together against the greater evil. 

And she remembers the look on her face when she finally turned around and flashed her a little smile. The same look that she’s always perceived as Lena accepting her presence, but not quite welcoming it. It’s the same look that she used to see on her face whenever they’d meet at her lab while Lena was trying to find a way to separate Sam and Reign -- only this time it’s softened by a small uptick at a corner of her lips. 

But it’s not enough. It never will. Not until she manages to get Lena to smile at her without those walls guarding her like massive barriers; not until it’s Lena inviting her to places, to do things together.

Not until Lena initiates something.

* * *

> _So, before you go  
>  Was there something I could've said to make your heart beat better?  
> If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather _

If someone had told Kara six months ago that she’ll find herself standing in front of a portal, waving goodbye at Lena, she would have... not laughed. She would have done things differently, maybe said something to possibly avoid this event. 

But no one had, and no one had warned her about the future, and so there they are, bidding Lena Luthor goodbye as she steps over the threshold and leaves the present to do good things in the future. 

* * *

_**[Three days ago.](https://www.tumblr.com/) ** _

“This is terrific,” Kelly murmurs to herself as she looks at the device on her desk, courtesy of Lena and her glee over finishing her project. “So, you can travel to the future with this?”

“Yes,” Lena replies and smiles. “It creates a portal that will lead me to _whenever_ I want to go. It’s a quicker alternative.”

Kelly continues staring at the device, shaking her head slowly before looking up at Lena. “I mean, this is great, Lena, but--” she shakes her head again. “Why? I thought Kara said her friend, Winn, is already there?”

“Winn is a smart guy,” Lena says. “But not as smart as me, unfortunately. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be needing me, don’t you think?”

Kelly just looks at her with an unreadable look on her face. Lena ignores it, though; choosing to focus on the success of her project than Kelly’s unspoken protest about her leaving the present time and running away to the future.

Lena never runs away from her problems. No, of course, not. This isn’t running away. This is... work; this is helping. She’s doing this to help people in the future and that matters more than anything else _still_ happening in Lena’s life. 

> _So, before you go  
>  Was there something I could've said to make it all stop hurting?  
> It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless _

In the future, there’s purpose for her; there’s a _need_ for her, and despite the good relationship she has with the _good guys_ , Lena knows she’s worth _nothing_ in this time. 

She never had.

So as soon as she received the message from Winn a month ago, she didn’t waste time arranging everything with regards to L-Corp. She contacted Sam to take over the company for an indefinite time, trusting her to do well enough in her stead. 

All those sleepless nights of working on this device and now... it’s here and she’s ready.

Now all there’s left to do is say goodbye to everyone.

To Kara.

* * *

But of course, Kara heard everything, and needless to say, she’s not very happy with some of the things Lena said.

She watches quietly with arms crossed over her chest as Lena makes her way to the med bay, where Kara is currently getting her dose of yellow sun. She purses her lips as Lena gets closer and closer, and the closer she gets, the deeper the frown on Kara’s face is. 

“Kara,” Lena greets, a small smile on her lips. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, a hundred percent,” she answers petulantly, and then shakes herself out of it. “I’m sorry--” she snorts. “Just a little cranky after hearing what the guy said about the homeless man. It just... upset me.”

“Some people will be rotten, Kara,” Lena says. “What’s important is you brought that man to one of our housings, right?”

Kara grins. “Totally.”

Lena hums, nodding slowly as she looks down at the floor.

Kara feels her heart skip a beat, and not in a good way.

“So, I have good news for you,” Lena starts, and Kara urges her to continue with a slight nod of her head. “I finished the device.”

The device. The thing that Kara’s been dreading of coming to fruition since Winn’s message from the future. She presses her lips together and keeps herself from telling Lena to _not go_. 

“And Winn contacted me again earlier this morning. Apparently, they need a Luthor’s brain to finish what they started much sooner than they initially thought, so...” Lena exhales quickly with yet another smile. “I’m leaving in two days.”

“In two days?” Kara frowns. “But that’s so soon. Who’s going to take care of L-Corp?”

“I’ve taken care of that a month ago.”

“.... When you got the first message from Winn.”

Lena nods. “Yes.”

“Oh.”

* * *

> _Would we be better off by now  
>  If I'd have let my walls come down? _

Lena glances at Kara and feels her heart drop down to her stomach for the second time. Part of her thinks Kara is going to say something bad, and she hates herself for even considering that possibility because it’s been almost a year since everything went down with Lex. It’s been a long time, and she’s proven herself to be a good person, and Kara has proven to Lena that she has forgiven her.

There should be no room for doubt, and yet.

“So, I wanted to say goodbye,” Lena continues, offering an open hand to Kara. “Just to make sure that I did say goodbye to you before leaving. We never know if you’ll be around the day I leave.”

Kara looks at the offered hand and swallows. The petulant person in her wants to slap Lena’s hand away and refuse to say goodbye, as if that would affect Lena’s decision of leaving at all. As if that would cancel out _everything_ , but Kara knows better.

She’s smarter than that, of course.

So she takes Lena’s hand in hers, squeezing it gently and shaking it once before loosening her hold.

But just as Lena’s about to let go of her hand, she tightens her hold again and pulls Lena into her arms, wrapping them around her with just the right amount of pressure, as she nuzzles the side of Lena’s neck. 

For once, Kara ignores the quick rhythm of Lena’s heartbeat, choosing to focus on their closeness and her warmth instead. It eventually slows down, but continues to _pound_ against Kara’s chest as she returns the hero’s embrace. 

She feels Lena exhale a lungful of air more than she hears her.

And for once, the world is right.

Kara only wishes it doesn’t end soon.

* * *

> _Maybe, I guess we'll never know_

But, it does end eventually.

And Lena leaves with one last look at Kara over her shoulder, a resigned smile on her lips as she waves goodbye and disappears from her sight along with the portal.

The DEO is quiet for approximately five seconds, every single person in the room still processing what they’d just witnessed — as if they haven’t witnessed anything _odd_ before — and then the usual buzz of a regular day comes back.

As if Lena hadn’t just disappeared right before their eyes.

“Did she tell you when she’ll be back?” Alex asks from beside her, placing a comforting hand on Kara’s shoulder.

“No,” Kara replies.

“We’ll send her messages,” Alex says. “Or bother Winn about it; maybe he’ll give us hints on when she’ll come back to us.”

“Maybe...” Kara sighs softly. “I guess we’ll never know.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on tumblr @ ancneun


End file.
